RE: Estes Park Campground, Colorado

[TG1956]

 
This is a privately owned campground and sits on the edge of the RMNP, about a mile from the YMCA, http://207.174.157.242/
 
 As you can see from the map on the link above, the campground has two loops, an East and a West loop. Generally, the East loop is for RV s, having fewer trees, but a spectacular view of the Rockies. We camped in the West loop (W-21), which is predominately tent sites, has lots oif trees, but the spectacular view is somewhat blocked as a result. They have recently convereted some of the more RV-friendly tent sites to water and electricity.
 
 We found the campground to be very nice with clean shower houses and an attentive staff. One concern we did have was negotiating our extra long popup through the tree-lined camp road on the west loop. (Our Viking 270sd has a box length of 15 feet or more.) We made it, but it was dicey at times. We didn t have much trouble at all backing into the spot and I would consider myself at an average skill level.
 
 We would return to Estes Park Campground. As an aside, we drove by the Mary s Lake Campground, also in Estes Park, CO, and found it too be too much of a gravel parking lot for RV s (ZERO trees). If you are only interested in finding a place to park your rig, then you might want to consider it. But, if you are looking for a " camping"  exerience, take a look at Estes Park Campground.

[Wayfarer]

 TG1956
Nice report.  Lots of helpful information.
 
 Thanks! []

[texacokat]

 TG1956
This was the second stop on our 10 day Colorado tour this summer.  After the open views of Elk Meadows we almost felt cramped in this CG, but the many trees and WALKING DISTANCE to RMNP helped us adjust.
 
 This CG is at the dead end of a road with direct access to RMNP.  Sites are small and somewhat close together, although lots of trees.  The bath houses are very quaint and well kept (although old plumbing).  The hosts are Mom and Pop and so it s well-cared for.  We had a weekend here, and were subject to typical W/E idiots -- since it s a small CG the 3am noises and sounds echoed throughout.
 
 Deer came right up to our site two mornings in a row.  We had the widest site in the CG but there is only ONE spot on it to level (email me for site #).  These people cater to popups, as they say on their website.  It seems as if they are on a lease from forest land, for they were quite strict about keeping leaves and sticks on the ground.  We were able to have a fire here, which was a nice luxury given the fire danger in Colorado the last few seasons.  We were not, however, allowed to burn our citronella candles (go figure).
 
 When going up or down the road, stop at the YMCA of the Rockies.  We drove through one day and were shocked at the level of luxury, the views, the buildings and the overall setup.  Must be the jewel of Y sites in the nation!
 
 It s true, this is a real camping experience.  Schedule lots of time for backing in and leveling, though, as the roads are narrow and rutted.

[kwatson51]

Hi All,
Gotta add my 2 cents, since we just came from EPC.
Last weekend we camped at "Estes Park Campground", a little further down the road from the YMCA camp. It was a pleasant place, in the trees, and fairly quiet. They cater to tents and pop-ups, no big RV's. Smaller RVs may fit in the West Loop, but I think navigation be a bit tight there.

TG 1956 wrote an excellent report. We did not experience late night or early morning noises, but perhaps we slept right through them. The weekend was crowded in Estes Park because of the Scottish/Irish Highland Games. The campground was about 3/4 full. The RV parks were packed.

This CG is a bit more rustic than say KOAs, but it was clean and well kept. The owners seem to like to keep the natural vegetation, and that helps to keep some separation between the sites where we were (between the loops). My only real complaint is that the water pressure was poor, depending on time of day (occupancy?)

Backing in and leveling were a little bit of a challenge, but my paved driveway in town worse!

EPC is where we will stay in EP from now on. We've been to the KOA and Mary's Lake and drove by Spruce Lake. As stated by TG1956, the latter 2 are basically big parking lots for big RVs. If you like that environment while in a pop-up -- go for it. We like to be in the woods.

[atcontroller]

I would like to add my comments about Estes Park camping. First, we have never stayed in any of the RMNP campgrounds.. We like to stay near town.. We originally had a reservation at the Estes Park KOA. That lasted all of about 25 minutes. There was no way we were going to "camp" there. We had to stand in line to complain about the campground. Never again. So we hooked up and off we went driving around. It was Fathers Day weekend and we ended up at Elk Meadow CG.

http://www.elkmeadowrv.com/

We enjoyed it very much. The accomodations were great! If you have a pop-up, campsite F1 is the one you want. It's in shade all day long.

They have activities there and the staff is awesome! Very friendly and will help you out in any possible way to make your stay comfy.  We've been there twice this year and enjoyed ourselves. The kids stay busy between the pool and game room/pool room.

If you go, just tell them the guy with the telescope recommended the accomodations!

Alan Gorski
 
Colorado Springs, CO